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Rivkind Margulies & Rivkind: The Maritime Lawyer Congress Called as Its Cruise Safety Expert

Brett Rivkind is a Miami personal injury attorney who testified before the United States Congress as a maritime expert during its hearings on cruise ship safety and security — hearings prompted by the disappearance of honeymooner George Smith IV, whose family hired Rivkind to pursue their case against the cruise line.

At a Glance

FIRM	Rivkind Margulies & Rivkind, P.A. (earlier records list Rivkind & Margulies)
OFFICE	169 East Flagler Street, Suite 1422, Miami, FL 33131
LEAD ATTORNEY	Brett A. Rivkind — University of Florida College of Law with honors, Order of the Coif (top 5% of class); admitted 1983; U.S. Supreme Court bar
PRACTICE	Plaintiffs’ maritime and cruise ship injury, crew member claims, sexual assault at sea, wrongful death, general personal injury
REPORTED VERDICTS	$6.3 million for an injured Royal Caribbean crew member; $3.7 million for a tugboat crew member, per the firm
RECOGNITION	Super Lawyers 2007, 2009–2012, 2014–2025; Million Dollar Advocates Forum; National Trial Lawyers Top 100

Origin and Background

Rivkind’s legal lineage is documented Miami history: his father, Judge Leonard Rivkind, was a prominent maritime injury lawyer who became Chief Judge of the 11th Judicial Circuit, elected to that post by his peers across several terms. Brett Rivkind graduated from the University of Florida College of Law with honors and Order of the Coif selection, then — like several of the strongest maritime lawyers in this directory — began on the defense side at a large maritime firm, handling hundreds of cruise industry cases before switching within five years to represent victims exclusively. Awesome Attorneys discloses that defense-side start directly: it is both part of his record and the source of his fluency in how carriers defend these cases. He has now handled maritime and admiralty cases for over 40 years alongside partner Bruce Margulies, with whom he shares over 60 years of combined experience.

Miami Personal Injury Attorney Practice Concentration

The firm’s concentration is maritime plaintiff work in its fullest range: passenger injuries, crew member claims — a distinct body of law under the Jones Act and maintenance-and-cure doctrine — sexual assaults at sea, and wrongful death, plus general injury cases. Its Flagler Street office sits blocks from the federal courthouse where most cruise forum clauses require suit. See this Miami Personal Injury directory for how this maritime concentration compares to the general-negligence firms serving Miami-Dade County.

Notable Work / Track Record

The firm’s reported results include a $6.3 million jury verdict for a Haitian Royal Caribbean crew member who received negligent medical care after a cumulative back injury, and a $3.7 million verdict for a tugboat crew member — crew cases being a docket most consumer-facing firms never touch. His Congressional testimony and authored paper on cruise passenger safety, and the Smith family retention, are matters of public record. Firm-reported figures are attributed as such; past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future matter.

Client Voice

Awesome Attorneys did not identify a large consolidated body of itemized consumer-platform reviews during research and discloses that directly; a Martindale peer entry describes him simply as an excellent lawyer.

Beyond the Courtroom

Rivkind edits The Florida Bar’s Maritime Personal Injury and Wrongful Death CLE manual, has lectured Florida’s circuit judges on maritime law at their Annual Judicial College, and taught business law at the University of Florida — teaching the bench and bar the law he practices.

Recognition for This Miami Personal Injury Attorney

His Super Lawyers selections span nearly two decades; the Million Dollar Advocates Forum is a results-gated membership; his media record — CNN, Vanity Fair, Good Morning America coverage of firm cases — reflects the public profile of his cruise safety work. Awesome Attorneys did not identify a Florida Bar board certification on his record during research and, per this directory’s standard, applies no “specialist” language.

Florida Legal Backdrop

Cruise passenger claims run on contractual deadlines far shorter than Florida’s statutes: typically six months’ written notice and one year to file suit, in the forum the ticket designates — for major lines, Miami federal court. Crew claims proceed under federal maritime law including the Jones Act. Florida’s 2023 tort reform law, HB 837, separately cut the general negligence limitations period to two years (Fla. Stat. § 95.11) with modified comparative negligence (§ 768.81). None of this is legal advice; maritime deadlines are unforgiving, so consult a licensed attorney promptly.

Awesome Attorneys Assessment

Rivkind Margulies & Rivkind’s clearest differentiator as a Miami personal injury firm is externally validated maritime authority — Congress, the Florida judiciary, and The Florida Bar’s own CLE manual all treating Rivkind as the expert in the room — layered on a defense-trained, 40-year plaintiff practice. The honest trade-offs, disclosed directly: his consumer review footprint is thin, his verdict figures are firm-reported, and the firm’s deep maritime tilt means routine auto cases are not its center of gravity. For a passenger or crew member injured at sea, this firm is as strong a shortlist basis as this Miami series contains.

Methodology and Sourcing

This profile was researched from Martindale-Hubbell’s attorney record (confirming the East Flagler Street office, 1983 admissions, Order of the Coif, and bar activities), the National Trial Lawyers’ published member biography, Super Lawyers’ selection record, and the firm’s own website (rivkindlaw.com, including its attorney biographies, results, and firm history pages documenting the Congressional testimony and Judge Leonard Rivkind’s judicial career).

Publisher Disclosure and Independence Notice

Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal directory and editorial publication. This profile was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed by Rivkind Margulies & Rivkind, P.A. prior to publication. Awesome Attorneys may in the future offer sponsored placement products to attorneys and firms, including this one, but sponsorship has no bearing on the editorial content, inclusion, or findings of this profile.